Medium 8 frame eq.?

[sfisher]

I am getting ready to order my first two hives, and I am going with all 8 frame mediums. How many medium 8 frame hive bodies do I need, to be equal to two 10 frame deeps for the brood? How many honey supers? I live in coastal South Carolina, were we have very mild winters.

[Bens-Bees]

Well, four 8 frame mediums would equal more than two 10 frame deeps, but three 8 frame mediums would equal less than two 10 frame deeps, but I really think you'll only need 3 of the 8 frame mediums for the brood chamber since the bees rarely if ever use the two outside frames on the 10 frame hives for anything other than pollen/nectar, whereas they'll readily lay in the outside frames of an 8 frame. So since 3 mediums = 2 deeps, you'll basically have the same amount of brood space being used if you only get three brood boxes per hive.

How many honey supers will depend on the nectar flow in your area, the strength of your hive, how often you plan to extract, and if you're going to use shallow or medium honey supers. As a minimum I would recommend having at least 2 mediums or 3 shallows on hand, and as a maxiumum 5 mediums and 7 shallows, per hive that is.

[SwedeBee1970]

2 or 3 brood supers is fine per colony. You'll use them one at a time, of course. Use the 7/10 rule. When 70% of the first body is filled with brood, add another stack.

And there's going with the 10 frame style. What you could do with this and still use an 8 frame pattern is to buy unwaxed plastic frames/foundation for the outside two frames and the other 8 wooden/waxed ones.

The bees should ignore the plastic ones and have the opportunity to use them if they wish.

[BigDru]

I keep 8 frame hives. I use 2 hive bodies per hive and use med supers. Bees seem to be just fine. I went with the 8 frame because of the weight difference. Also my 2 girls help with the hives and the 8 frames are much easier for them to work with.

[Michael Bush]

If you look at the surface area of the combs, then four eight frame mediums is close enough to exactly equal to two ten frame deeps. Basically one eight frame medium is equivalent to a five frame deep nuc.

I overwinter mine in more or less depending on the size of the cluster. I don't try to crowd them down too much for winter, so they may be in anywhere from one eight frame medium box (which I would consider a nuc) to 5 boxes. With everything in between represented.

[Omie]

And there's going with the 10 frame style. What you could do with this and still use an 8 frame pattern is to buy unwaxed plastic frames/foundation for the outside two frames and the other 8 wooden/waxed ones.
The bees should ignore the plastic ones and have the opportunity to use them if they wish.

That's clever, I'll remember that...thanks! :)

[Maine_Beekeeper]

I winter my 8 frame mediums in 4 boxes here in Maine. I typically have 2 or 3 supers above for honeycollection in the summer.
I imagine in SC you'd want 8 boxes total and winter in 3 with you sleeping like a baby if those three are full of honey.